First post & first collected ficus

Maddog79 · Post by **Maddog79** » January 7th, 2014, 3:36 pm

Hello all,

I have been following this fantastic site for the past nine months or so now & am excited to be making my first contribution. This morning I collected a large ficus (approx 30yrs old) which I plan to place in a grow bed (it is currently in a seasol bath).

image.jpg

Any advice on any of the following topics: as well as any other suggestions too, would be most welcome.

a) what soil mix to use (I was planning on lining the grow bed with road base then using a mix of scoria, course sand, diatomite & potting mix)???
b) should I take it back to a completely bare stump or leave some branches/leaves on?
c) should I cut the roots back further?
d) how to best trim/cut/shape the trunks to create some taper

image.jpg

Thanks in advance.

ADO · Post by **ADO** » January 7th, 2014, 4:24 pm

Maddog79 wrote:Hello all,

I have been following this fantastic site for the past nine months or so now & am excited to be making my first contribution. This morning I collected a large ficus (approx 30yrs old) which I plan to place in a grow bed (it is currently in a seasol bath).

image.jpg
Any advice on any of the following topics: as well as any other suggestions too, would be most welcome.

a) what soil mix to use (I was planning on lining the grow bed with road base then using a mix of scoria, course sand, diatomite & potting mix)???
b) should I take it back to a completely bare stump or leave some branches/leaves on?
c) should I cut the roots back further?
d) how to best trim/cut/shape the trunks to create some taper

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg
Thanks in advance.

Hi Maddog,
nice material you have. I think its a F.benjamina. If I am correct than these ficus are a little bit more fussy than others, say compared to a Port Jackson Ficus. If this was my tree, I would just put in the ground/grow bed and let it recover for a while. I live in Perth so I am unsure as to how long you have to work on ficus before it gets too cold.

Isitangus · Post by **Isitangus** » January 7th, 2014, 4:38 pm

I agree don't trim back more roots etc, let it recover first-welcome to the art of waiting!!!
As for the grow box don't over complicate the mix, by all means add some road base for drainage to the bottom but then keep it simple with some good quality potting mix. As your progress on the journey you can work out what soil mix works best for you.
Looks like good stock!

mugen · Post by **mugen** » January 7th, 2014, 5:02 pm

Nice looking tree

agree on the leaving it a while to recover before working on it. As far as the mix goes as long as it is free draining you should be ok. Ficus are tough benjis can be a bit temperamental after heavy work so you might get a little die back but it should recover well. Once you see some new growth you can give it a feed and start with some light work, save the heavy stuff until it regains full vigour.
Jac

Maddog79 · Post by **Maddog79** » January 7th, 2014, 7:18 pm

Thanks very much all for the words of wisdom & encouragement. The fact that it is F. Benjamina made me a little more concerned about how much to chop...
The warmth & humidity in Brisbane at the moment will hopefully assist with recovery (fingers crossed)

Incidentally, at the time of this stock originally being placed in the ground, I took a cutting & potted it up & it has only been more recently that I have begun to see something that is beginning to resemble a nice tree.

Here is a picture below

image.jpg

Cheers
Maddog

AusBonsai